Electrical connectors are known in which electrical terminals are inserted and retained within a connector housing such that after insertion the terminals remain captured and Positioned within the housing for proper mating of the connector housing with a cooperative housing of a mateable connector assembly. Each terminal has an element which is cooperative with a portion of the connector housing to secure the terminal within the housing. A difficulty often arises in such constructions in that the terminal retaining element can be damaged by Pulling forces on the terminal such as can occur by pulling on the wire attached to the terminal, and thereby break the terminal loose from the housing. This difficulty is accentuated in connectors of small size by reason of the relatively delicate nature of the small size terminals.